Tuyere plate



. H. A. ELLIS TUYERE PLATE Jun 14, 1938.

Filed May 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l wrummmm I! h:

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ATTORNEY.

June 14, 1938. H. A. ELLIS TUYERE PLATE Filed may 16, 1954 ATTORNEY.

2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES RATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The object of the invention broadly is to provide improvements in tuyere plates for underfed stokers and the like.

More specifically, another object is to provide a structure in which two or more nose or front sections are normally secured to a single rear or base section, any one or more of such front sections being removable from and replaceable with respect to a given base section, without necessitating the dislodgement, disconnection, or other disturbance of said base section.

A further object is to provide still more specifically the combination of a plate unit comprising a relatively heavy and inexpensive base section, 15 with two or more front sections formed of relatively lighter weight and more expensive heatresisting alloy, each front section being characterized by pairs of zig-zag air channels, the outermost discharge portions of the channels of 20 each pair operating to direct impinging jets of air from the plate section, until the edge portions of the said section disintegrate or burn away suficiently to destroy such discharge portions, after which the next adjacent portions of the 25 neighboring channels of adjacent pairs cooperate to function as similar impinging air jets for the fuel upon the superposed series of tuyere plates, thereby making possible the use of each front section for thelongest period of time correspond- 30 ing with the usable life of the casting, while it disintegrates, without losing or materially impairing the improved method of air discharge.

Still another object is to provide a construction, which insures a properly distributed air 35 supply by means of a maximum of positively ,di-

rected pairs of impinging jets. These jets being located in a multiple manner at the front where the fire bed offers the least resistance, the side jets being of the full height and size to produce 40 greater air flow to supply suiiicient air in the gap between each row, where a greater air volume is required to equalize the distribution, also to provide the highest possible degree of turbulent air supply at all of the points of air discharge as compared to the usual straight flow, which latter tends to result in spotty holes in the fire bed. The resulting fire bed upon a superposed series of these improved tuyere plates produces a much higher degree of heat, which is so intense as to cause the front section to gradually burn, blister, scale, crack, or otherwise wear away, in View of which fact it becomes even more imperative that the maintenance cost be minimized by providing front sections of greater heat resistant metal than that of the base sections, even tho greater expense be entailed.

With this invention it is possible to provide a base section of such weight and height as to efiiciently support several front sections, thereby increasing the stability of the'unit and the use of many relatively thin front sections with even fewer relatively thick base sections, and consequently less danger of dislodgement of the former during normal operation of the stoker, together with relatively wide laterally directed channels operative to direct a greater cross sectional volume of air at decreased speed or rate of flow, thru the deeper coal body normally above and in front of the side of tuyre plate units.

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a tuyere plate unit comprising one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one such unit, upon which is superimposed the forward portion of a second such unit, the second being partially broken away to show one of the means whereby one unit interengages the other;

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section thru the unit of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the upper of the front or nose sections of the tuyere plate unit;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a fragmentary portion of the same, showing approximately the shape of its exposed forward edges, as the adjacent portion of said section distintegrates under the influence of the intense heat of the fire normally adjacent thereto; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a pair of these tuyere plate units one above the other, but the upper unit being tilted with respect to the lower to indicate their relative positions, when it is desired to withdraw one or more of the plurality of front sections of the lower of such units.

Referring to the drawings, it is to be understood that either two or any greater number of nose or front sections for disposition in the fire-bed may be supplied with a given rear or body section to form a tuyere unit, and that the following de- 5 scription of but two such nose or front sections for a tuyere unit is merely illustrative of the general construction, operation and interlocking manner of any desired plural number of such nose or front sections, both with respect to one another or with respect to the supporting base section.

Each rear or base plate section comprises a central substantially planular portion l, which is in general rectangular, with a substantially squarecut rear edge portion 2, bevelled upon its underside and adjacent to which said plate is provided with preferably two or more apertures 3, for a purpose hereinafter described. The laterally opposite edge portions of said plate are provided with depending flanges 4, the adjacent forwar-d surfaces 5 of which are bevelled outwardly to form in each case one side of a laterally angularly directed channel 6, the opposite side of which channel is defined by the substantially parallel surface I of a depending stud, lug, or post 8, the laterally opposite and outwardly directed surface 9 of which post forms one side of a second channel II which latter is confined by surfaces ll ll upon the adjacent sides of a pair of normally vertically aligned posts l2, l2, carried respectively by upper and lower detachable front sections l3, [3, respectively, as hereinafter described. Substantially the central portion of each plate I is provided with a depending post l4, having a transversely reduced extension l5, providing one or more shoulders I6 and adapted to normally fit and engage the sides of an elongated aperture ll of the tuyere plate next below the one under consideration, and with which such aperture each tuyere plate base section is provided. Each of the posts I4 is preferably reinforced with respect to its supporting plate I by means of a plurality of diagonally extending portions l8, integrally connected with both post and plate, and it will also be noted that the shoulders [6 are in a plane common with that of the lowermost surfaces [9 of the lateral flanges 4, so as to rest uniformly upon the tuyere plate next beneath, unless the upper surface of the latter is other than planular, in which case the relative extension or positions of said shoulders and flange surfaces are altered accordingly, in order to provide similar supporting ability.

While as above pointed out it is to be understood that for each base section I there may be two or more front sections, only a pair of such sections l3 and 13' will be here described in detail, since beyond these two cooperating sections any additional number would comprise substantially mere duplication or multiplication of those here mentioned specifically. Accordingly, the normally forward edge of the plate I is provided with one or more flanges or lugs 20, of any desired shape and transverse width, in order to provide aligning means upon or against which normally rests the rear edge portion 2| of the upper front section l3, thereby limiting the relative downward movement of this front section with respect to said plate, while relative transverse movement of said sections may be prevented by providing either of said sections, in this instance the plate section itself, with an offset 22, adapted to. register with correspondingly shaped recesses 23, in the adjacent edge portion of said front section. This upper front section I3 is additionally provided with an integrally connected, centrally positioned, and downwardly extending pin 24, of sufficient length to extend downwardly past and beneath the lower positioned front section l3 and into the correspondingly shaped aperture 25 in the central forwardportion of the tuyre plate next therebeneath. The said upper front section is also provided preferably with two or more integral downwardly extending lugs or studs 26, adapted to engage within, but not to extend beyond correspondingly positioned apertures 21 in the rear portion of the lowermost front section 13, said lower front section in turn being provided with preferably similarly positioned abbreviated studs 28, adapted to extend downwardly and engage within correspondingly positioned apertures in the upper front section of the tuyre plate unit positioned next therebeneath, and represented in the drawings by the apertures 29 in the upper front section l3. By this construction each tuyere base section is secured against lateral movement with respect to the corresponding section next therebeneath, while thru the medium of the series of pins 24 and lugs 26 and 28, the front sections of each tuyere plate unit are first secured to bases of a superposed series of units and to other adjacent front sections both above and below and also with respect to the units adjacent thereto, above and below the unit under consideration.

Each of said front sections comprises a forwardly directed convex edge surface 3|] of suitable cross section, which from long experience is well known in the art as gradually burning away or deteriorating under the action of the intense heat of the fire adjacent thereto, in such irregular shapes as those represented by the secondary outlines 3i and 32 of Fig. 6. The under surfaces of the front sections are substantially similar to one another, so that only one will be described in detail, and the same reference numerals where applicable are applied to the other, the upper front section of a normal pair being shown in Fig 5, while the lower front section is exposed to view in Fig. 1.

Spaced about the periphery and carried as integral extensions downwardly from the lower surface of such front sections, is a series of spaced channel-forming lugs 33 and intervening lugs 34 of different shape from said first set, the adjacent yet spaced surfaces of each pair of said lugs 33 and 34 cooperating to form substantially Z-shaped channels 35, the outermost portions of each pair of which channels are directed towards each other, so that air or other gas passing therethru emerges therefrom in such a manner that the current from one channel of a pair impinges angularly against the current of the other of such channels, with the result that a swirling motion of said air is set up, as is previously described in my Patent No. 1,990,641, issued February 12, 1935. However, it has been found advantageous to provide these channels roughly of Z-shaped construction, so that as the outer edge portion of the front sections burns away, as for instance to the line 3| in Fig. 6, there will remain the angularly directed outer sections 36 of said channels to discharge impinging jets of air or the like. And still further, when an additional edge portion of said front section is burned away, as for instance to the line 32 in Fig. 6, the rearmost portions 31 of pairs of said Z-shaped channels will continue to function as hereinbefore described.

With this construction, it will be noted that there is provided the maximum feasible number of channel pairs consistent with castings of this character for directing air for the purpose of aiding combustion into a bed of fuel upon an inclined series of tuyre plate units, both forwardly and in divergent angular directions, while laterally of the said plates where the fuel bed is normally deeper, air flows thereinto with much greater volume but less force thru and from the relative! larger channels 6 and I6 located upon the laterally opposite sides of said plates, where the heat is by no means so intense under normal conditions of operation. Consequently, as the radially outer edge portions of the front sections are gradually and progressively destroyed,

and it thereupon becomes necessary to replace said sections, either throughout or only in certain instances, all that is necessary in the latter case is to pry one plate unit diagonally upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 7, so as to permit the release of the one or more front sections therebeneath which are to be removed, after which new sections of like character can be readily substituted and operation of the stoker resumed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

l. A plurality of tuyre plate units, each unit comprising a base section, a detachable nose section normally adjacent thereto, a second nose section adjacent to and engaging said first nose section, connecting means extending between said first nose section and the base section of an adjacent unit and across said second nose section, connecting means also carried by said first nose section and engaging said second nose section, and connecting means carried by said second nose section and engageable with a nose section of an adjacent unit.

2. A plurality of tuyre plate units, each unit comprising a base section, a detachable nose section normally adjacent thereto, a second nose section adjacent to and engaging said first nose section, connecting means extending between said first nose section and the base section of an adjacent unit. connecting means also carried by said first nose section and engaging said second nose section, and connecting means carried by said second nose section and engageable with a nose section of an adjacent unit.

3. A tuyre plate, comprising a nose portion, provided with a series of projections adapted to form between them and in cooperation with an adjacent tuyere plate zig-zag channels, adjacent pairs of channels terminating in angularly disposed sections comprising pairs of converging passages, and as the outer portions of said plate and projections burn away, adjacent channels of adjacent initial pairs successively providing secondary pairs of similarly directed converging passages.

4. The combination of a tuyere plate unit comprising a base section and a plurality of nose sections with an adjacent unit, said base section having side walls coacting with the adjacent unit to define an air space, said side walls being traversed by laterally directed channels, each of said nose sections carrying projections cooperating in pairs and with the adjacent nose sections to form passages fed by air passing through said space.

5. The combination of a tuyre plate unit comprising a base section and a plurality of nose sections with an adjacent unit, said base section having side walls coacting with the adjacent unit to define an air space, said side walls being traversed by laterally directed channels, each of said nose sections carrying projections cooperating in pairs and with the adjacent nose sections to form passages fed by air passing through said space, one of said nose sections being complementary with and normally positioned adjacent to said base section, and the other nose section being attached to said first nose section.

6. The combination of a tuyere plate unit, comprising a base section and a plurality of engaged nose sections, said base section providing in combination with an adjacent unit an air space and laterally directed channels, said nose sections each being provided with a series of projections adapted to form between themselves and adjacent nose sections divergently directed zig-zag channels terminating in pairs having their side walls converging so that as the nose portions and projections burn away, adjacent channels of adjacent initial pairs successively provide secondary pairs of similarly directed passages having converging side Walls.

'7. A tuyere plate unit, comprising a nose portion and a base portion provided with an air space, each of said portions being horizontally disposed, said nose portion being at one end of and relatively short with respect to the base portion and comprising a plurality of superposed interlocking sections, each having passages communicating with said space.

8. A tuyere plate unit comprising a horizontal base section having an air space, superposed nose sections separate from each other and from said base section stepped at their free ends and disposed in continuation of one end of said base section, said nose sections being relatively short with respect to the base section and disposed substantially between the extended planes of the top and bottom of the base section and providing air outlet passages at different elevations in communication with said space, and means for engaging the base section and nose sections together and to an adjacent unit for detachment by relative tilting of the base and nose sections.

9. A tuyere plate unit comprising a horizontal base section having an air space therein, a plurality of superposed engaged nose sections disposed substantially between the extended planes of the top and bottom of the base section and being in stepped relation at their free ends, said nose sections: providing channels at different elevations in communication with said space, said nose sections being relatively short with respect to the base section, one of said nose sections being fitted to said base section throughout their common transverse extent, and the other nose section engaging said main section in said space regions only, engaging means between said nose sections, and centrally positioned means on one of said nose sections adapted for engagement with the base section of the adjacent unit.

HUMPHREY A. ELLIS. 

